Is This The Kind Of Boyfriend You Want If You Have A Dog?

"A brutal coward threw his girlfriend's six-month-old dachshund's out of their sixth story window -- to its death -- after an argument in their West 129th Street apartment, officials said today. "I don't care about the dog," Keith Rogers, a 27-year-old violent felon, told cops according to a criminal complaint charging him with aggravated cruelty to animals. "It's $1,300. I'll buy a new one," he allegedly told cops. "I don't give a f--- about the dog."'

Again and again, we read about boyfriends killing their girlfriend's dog or kid. I'm shocked at how stupid women are when picking a boyfriend. Everyone knows you should look for a responsible, decent, nice guy... but nice guys finish last for a lot of women. And I get tired of hearing about women complaining about their nasty boyfriends when they knew he was a jerk all along.

Being a nice, single guy, I have watched this phenomenon again and again over the years. I've practically given up on finding someone decent, with good judgment. Pretty women are a dime a dozen, but who can find a virtuous woman? I just don't know these days. It's starting to seem better to just remain single. And many of my guy friends are saying the same thing. We're tired of all the BS.

If this guy is convicted, then I hope he gets at least 10 years in prison. And I hope this woman gets some counseling to figure out why she was attracted to such a loser.

Poor dog. It deserved better. A lot better.

Overgrown Hair On Neglected Dog

"The male poodle mix was recently found in north Scottsdale. He was so matted and full of debris that he was hardly recognizable as a dog. "His hair was so long, matted and full of burrs, thorns, dirt and debris that you couldn't see where his legs or ears or face were," said Betty Drake, one of the good Samaritans who rescued him. "The only clue was his nose, which you could see if you knew where to look."'


Several years ago, I watched a dog groomer working with a dog that hadn't been properly groomed for years. This dog was completely matted all over, feces stuck to its bottom so that it could barely defecate, the dog was filthy and smelled horrible. It took nearly all day for the groomer to remove the dog's hair. What was left was a completely shaved dog, and a pile of hair and dirt that was bigger than the dog.

This dog was brought to the groomer by the owner's family. The owner was a senile elderly woman who couldn't really care for the dog any more.

Here is the story of a similar case. I urge you, if you know of someone with such a dog... please intervene, for the sake of the person and the dog. And if this person is no longer capable of taking care of the dog, then please find the dog a new home through a reputable rescue non-profit group.

Pit Bull Taken Off Death Row

"Brooklyn’s caretakers discovered last week that the dog was deaf, and that this could have contributed to why the dog bit the girl last year"

I have said over and over again, that shelter temperament evaluations are often NOT VALID. And here is another case. This dog was impounded for biting a child. It took the shelter A YEAR for anyone to figure out this dog was deaf, and that the bite was a result of a medical condition, not a faulty temperament.

It is shameful how many dogs are put down in shelters every year. It is even worse when those tasked with evaluating the dogs, and the situations that got the dogs in trouble, aren't competent enough to get a determination within the first day of bringing the dog in. I evaluate dogs on a daily basis, and with experience, it isn't rocket science.

Thankfully, this dog is getting a second chance, but millions of dogs are being put to death in government run shelters all over the US, and a good many are a result of incompetence and a lack of passion for animal welfare.

K9 Dies Of Heat Stroke In Police Car

"A K-9 dog with the Edmond Police Department died Monday afternoon after authorities say he became overheated in the back of a police SUV"

It's that time again where we will hear of summer deaths of dogs and kids left in hot cars. In this case, the police are trying to determine the cause of death. Was it mechanical or human caused?

Take this as your Spring Warning of 2013... don't let this happen to your dog.

Owners Set Dogs On Alley Rats

"Recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agreed to let an Arizona-based company test a form of rat birth control by setting out bait in some subway stations this summer.... While dog owners may see it as time-honored pursuit, rat-hunting riles animal-rights advocates. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which opposes hunting in general, expressed outrage after video of a dog snatching rats in a New York City park surfaced online two years ago. PETA Spokesman Martin Mersereau calls the alley rat quests "a twisted blood sport masquerading as rodent control."'

So, do we have an ethical dilemma here?

First, rats are a disease vector for humans, meaning they carry diseases that can be harmful or fatal to humans. A restaurant with a rat problem will be shut down by the authorities. All restaurants are required by law to be free of such rodents.

Second, the use of poison on rats can also indiscriminately kill other desirable animals. A new form of rat poison was approved recently that is more lethal to dogs than ever before. Do we want more poisons put out in public to kill wild animals, including birds, dogs, cats and such? People ARE going to be killing rats, the question is how.

Third, is using a dog to kill rats a blood sport? What if you got a cat to do it? What if all the neighbors in a block got cats and let them roam the town? Are cats any less lethal or painful than a dog when killing a rat? Obviously, no.

I'm never for the indiscriminate killing of any animal. On the other hand, we have a right to protect our health.

My Three Rules: This is why I support hunting and fishing, if a.) you aren't destroying a species; b.) you aren't wasting the meat and byproducts; and c.) the kill is made quickly as reasonably possible. Some animals are killed, but are unsafe to eat, such as rats, so I append that to My Three Rules as an exception. Animals kill and eat other animals in nature every second, minute, hour, day, year, decade, and century. If you believe we are descendants of primitive primates, then we are also animals. I am therefore not opposed to hunting and fishing. I am also not opposed to killing living things, plant or animal, according to My Three Rules. Tell me which of you wouldn't kill cockroaches that infested your kitchen, rats in your restaurant (and which restaurant you'd eat at if it was infested with rodents), or eat a fish or other animal to save yourself or to feed your children. Believe me, no animal rights nut would eat at a place where the kitchen was overrun by rats. These guys are full of bull. And if controlling the population of one species causes the survival of another, so that both survive, how is that wrong?

I hate the way we manage species and habitats. I think it is done all wrong. I hate the way we kill wolves, for example. I also hate poaching, which destroys a species, such as what is happening to the African Elephant.

So, is it OK for dogs to be trained, bred and used, instead of cats or poison, to control rats? I have no problem with it.

Pet cruelty alert as Preston’s RSPCA shelter crisis grows

Dog rescue groups are always struggling for money, and if you love dogs, then you should budget some donations to help them out. Most rescues lack the professionalism necessary to sustain the costs necessary to do their missions. There are plenty of business savvy people out there that could help, but oftentimes rescues are in their own bubble and they don't obtain the advice they need. And the dogs can suffer or die as a result.

Dog decapitated, head found in Pickering park over the weekend

There are some crazy people out there. What kind of mental case decapitates a dog? It sickens me to hear these stories, over and over again. If this person is caught, why shouldn't it result in the death penalty? Seriously. Why not? Anyone crazy enough to do this is crazy enough that society should remove them from the gene pool.

Veterinarian Malpractice?

"Their lawyer, Andrew Siben, said Herndon prescribed the anti-inflammatory drug Rimadyl, which carries a warning of potentially deadly side effects. The couple alleged they were never told of the risk."

If you take your dog to the vet, and the dog dies,
1. Is that a case of malpractice;
2.) should you sue; and
3.) How much should the damages be?

I'm not someone who trusts the court system, nor do I think it wise to go to court. Courts aren't where right and wrong are determined, they are just a place to settle disputes, to end a fight. Not always do the good guys win and bad guys lose.

Further, dog law is still in its infancy. What might seem logical for a human isn't so logical when it comes to a dog.

In this case, I have no idea who is right or wrong because I haven't heard the evidence and I'm no lawyer. I'm guessing this vet will be found not guilty in this case. I'm not sure that a vet can be sued for all the potential side effects of every drug they prescribe. I just don't know. I do know of dogs that have died at the vet office, and what I heard made me believe the vet was at fault. But, what do you do? The financial awards in these cases, if you do win, will never cover the cost of the trial. So, it becomes about either revenge, justice, or both, because now, not only is your dog dead, you're going to be out tens of thousands of dollars.

Maybe your best defense is social media, because that can do more damage than your lawsuit ever will. You'll never get your dog back, either way.

Is that fair? No. But who said life was fair?

How a Top Training Facility Turns Rescued Dogs into Rescue Dogs

I donate my time for rescue dogs. One of the biggest issues is the debate between telling people to adopt vs buying a dog. This is especially an issue when it comes to people who want to use a dog for professional purposes. The dog you adopt has to be carefully screened. The purebred was (hopefully) chosen to be bred, which is demonstrated by many generations of healthy working dogs.

Many dogs that could do work are put to death at shelters because of their extreme abilities. For example, dogs that show normal aggression that would be appropriate to be a police dog would be killed. High drive, high energy dogs are overlooked or rejected by people who just want a couch potato dog. The shelter system, nationwide, needs to be revamped, so that more rescued dogs can be adopted by professionals. But, for now, they are mostly concentration camps, where half of the dogs are killed every week.

Many purebred dogs aren't suitable for work any more, however. Genetic faults have been created, both health and temperament, which now exclude them from doing professional work. The German Shepherd Dog has mostly been wrecked as a breed, and it is going to take a couple of decades for the breed to recover, if it ever does.

This article shows that rescued dogs can be used for service work, and that's a good thing. For now, this group had to screen thousands of dogs to find 40 dogs to put into service. The shelter / rescue temperament evaluation and adoption process isn't helping professionals do this kind of research. For now, it is still much easier to get a purebred dog for the work. Can rescue dogs do professional work? Yes? In this case, these dogs have been turned into search and rescue dogs. Can purebreds do the work? Obviously, yes.

The Benefits Of Dog Training

One of my past students has a 2 year old male Goldendoodle. A couple of months ago, he blew out his rear knee, tearing the ligaments, while playing. So, today he went in for surgery. Feedback from the veterinarian and the techs was that he was so easy to handle and manage. Because he had completed both Basic and Intermediate Obedience, he operates on, what I call, "power steering". A dog with that much training is so cooperative, easy to manage, listens to what you ask, and copes well with stresses. Even as the owners were driving him home, as he investigated the stitches near the wound, all they had to do is tell him to leave it alone, and he did.

Obedience training has more benefits than just having a dog come when called if it runs out the front door. It plays out in a million little ways to make life easier for the dog and the owners. Most people never train their dog sufficiently, so they have ongoing hassles the life of the dog... or they just abandon the dog to a back yard, or drop them off at a shelter to be killed.

Obedience training is both humane and necessary to have a great experience owning a dog.

Crazy Barking At The Front Door

Do your dogs bark like crazy at the front door? Do you have to hold your dogs back from guests when they enter the home? Do your dogs break into fights sometimes when someone is at the door? You have more than a barking problem on your hands... this is a serious issue.

How Many Lessons Does It Take To Train A Dog?

Many people wonder how many lessons it takes to train a dog. Some trainers say they can do it in 5 lessons. Some promise they can do it in 2 weeks in a board and train program. So, what is the right answer?

More Dogs = More Fighting?

There are many reasons why dogs fight other dogs. One contributing factor is the number of dogs living in a given home. As a general rule, the more dogs you have, the greater the chance that your dogs will fight, regardless of the breed. As a general rule, I believe that most homes would be better off having more than one dog...

If you get too many dogs, or dogs of the wrong type, or don't manage them correctly, then you can provoke dog fights in the home... 

What Is Humane Dog Training?

What does it mean to be “humane” in your dog training methods? This is an important question. Anyone who has been around dog training for as long as I have has seen abusive or incompetent dog trainers. The ultimate question is whether the training is humane: compassionate, understanding, sympathetic to both the dog and the owner.